Welcome to Bell Family Dental , where your family’s health is our priority! Our experienced staff are skilled in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry, with state of the art technology at their disposal. With families at the center of our practice, we care about the development and care of baby teeth as much as health of adult teeth, helping maintain health throughout you and your family’s lifetime. From cleanings to Cosmetic Dentistry, our services will be available to you.

Preventive

Dental Hygiene

While at our office, we make sure that you receive the highest level of service and ensure that our dental work is of the highest quality. To ensure that you maintain great oral health, this level of quality needs to extend into your personal oral hygiene routine. We can help you establish a dental hygiene routine that will keep your smile healthy and white.

Your smile is not the only important part of your mouth. Your gums are essential to oral hygiene as well. We can provide periodontal cleanings and treatment, or refer you to one of our recommended specialists. Call us for more information.

Oral Cancer Screenings

Oral cancer screenings are a very important part of the dental visit for the patient. With the advances in modern technology, we are now able to pinpoint the start of a potential problem much earlier in its evolution. The ability to do so is extremely important in being able to treat any issues prior to them becoming a major irreversible problem.

The oral cancer screening is often completed with the Velscope a filtered, ultraviolet light sensor or similar device that allows us to view issues that can’t always be detected by the human eye under normal conditions.

Certain lifestyle choices can have a great impact on the health of tissues and your overall health in the mouth. If you are a smoker or heavy drinker, make sure to get regular screenings when you visit the dentist.

Night Guards

Many people are afflicted with bruxism, or teeth grinding. Some people may do this consciously during the day, but it is a larger problem at night while you are asleep. Grinding your teeth can damage enamel, wear down teeth, cause jaw pain, or irritate your gums. The noise from teeth grinding can also disturb your spouse’s sleep if loud enough. If you suspect you might be grinding your teeth at night set up an appointment with us today.

Mouth Guards

Mouth guards are an essential piece of equipment in contact sports. They should be worn by athletes of all ages who participate in sports such as:

See us today for a custom mouth guard to protect your teeth and ensure that you maintain the highest level of performance on the field, court, or rink.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. The soft tissues of your throat block your airway and the constriction results in vibration of the tissues, causing snoring . You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. If you wake up unrefreshed after sleeping, if you have problems with memory and concentration, if you constantly feel tired, or experience personality changes, you may have sleep apnea! Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or “sleep study”.

Oral appliances or devices, are an option for patients who cannot tolerate continuous positive airway pressure masks (CPAP). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends dental devices for patients with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea who are not appropriate candidates for CPAP or who have not been helped by it. Call us to find out more about this alternative to CPAP.

TMJ

TMJ is the acronym for temporomandibular joint, which connects your lower jaw (the mandible) to your skull at the temporal bone. This joint controls many jaw functions, like chewing. If the chewing muscles or the joint itself are causing you pain you may have temporomandibular disorder, or TMD. TMD can be caused by stress, continual clenching of the jaw muscles, or teeth grinding. If you suspect you may have TMD come in for a consultation. We can help diagnose you and provide relief for your symptoms.

Sealants

Sealants are a great way to protect against decay and cavities on the back part of your mouth, the molars. These are the teeth that are most vulnerable to cavities and decay because they are used in the chewing process, and are the most difficult to reach and clean. Molars first come in at around 5-7 years of age, with a second set coming in between the ages of 11-14. It is best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early.

To place a sealant an adhesive is first applied. The sealant is then placed over the adhesive as a liquid, as if it is painted right onto the tooth. The liquid then hardens and creates a barrier between your tooth and any plaque, food particles, and bacteria. Sealants last for about 10 years and can be reapplied if necessary.

General Dentistry

Family Dental Care

Our experienced staff are skilled in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry, with state of the art technology at their disposal. With families at the center of our practice, we care about the development and care of baby teeth as much as health of adult teeth, helping maintain health throughout you and your family’s lifetime. From regular cleanings to braces, our services will be available to you.

Pediatrics

Our goal is to provide your little one(s) with the best quality, affordable dental care while also helping them to establish healthy oral habits they can use throughout their lives. Please let us know about your needs and concerns so that we can accommodate you better.

Sedation

What if you could have all your dentistry that you have been putting off for years while sleeping- free of fear and pain?

We specialize in Sedation Dentistry and Sleep Dentistry, treating people with dental phobias and anxieties We offer different types of sedation dentistry. These include administering oral sedation, a pill, nitrous oxide (laughing gas), and intravenous sedation to deliver a combination of drugs. Whatever is best for you.

In this way the patient and the dentist are comfortable providing and receiving the best possible dental care-safe, and free of stress and pain.

What is Sedation Dentistry or Sleep Dentistry?

The patient is given oral medication about one hour before your appointment. The medicine puts you in a light state of sedation and you sleep thru your dental appointment. It is Safe! When you awaken your dental treatment is completed.

You need someone to drive you to and from your appointment. Once you arrive, you are allowed to rest comfortably in a warm, quiet room under a cozy blanket. During the entire time you are here, we will closely monitor you to ensure your safety.

Complex dental treatments that often require six or more appointments can be done in as little as one! All while you sleep.

Root Canal

Contrary to jokes about the matter, modern root canal treatment is a simple procedure very similar to having a routine filling and usually can be completed in one or two appointments, depending on the condition of your mouth and your personal circumstances. You can expect a comfortable experience during and after your appointment. With our modern facilities and cutting edge technologies, we are prepared to take care of you in the very best, most painless way possible. Even the most anxious patient receives little to no pain. Call us today to find out more about how we care for your comfort.

Extractions

Wisdom teeth extractions are a fairly common procedure. Wisdom teeth often cause problems as they are trying to protrude through the gums. When a wisdom tooth is impacted, it means the tooth is coming in at an angle and not straight through the gum line. This can cause pain, the tooth can come in unevenly, or the tooth may only emerge partially. Call us to find out how we can take care of this for you easily and with little hassle or pain.

Periodontics

Periodontal (gum) disease

Periodontal (gum) disease is insidious. It is an infection of the gums that starts out as plaque, an opaque film on the teeth that hardens to form tartar. As tartar accumulates, it harbors bacteria that attack the soft tissue around the gums. This is the early stage of gum disease known as Gingivitis. Left untreated, Gingivitis becomes Periodontitis which ultimately destroys the tissue surrounding your teeth AND the bone that holds your teeth in place. Except for bad breath and gums that bleed, there are very few early warning signals. The disease advances silently, often without pain, and before you know it, you are losing your teeth and you don’t know why.

Tooth loss is only the most obvious indicator of gum disease. Scientific research has discovered linkage between gum disease and stroke, heart disease, diabetes – even an increased risk for pregnant women. When your gums become diseased, your entire immune system is weakened.

In the past, fear of painful dental surgery has kept people with gum disease from seeking the care they needed. Well, those days are gone forever. Call us today to find out more.

Scaling & Root Planing

Gingivitis is a generative disease that left untreated, will cause significant tooth and gum deterioration. Just the word gingivitis can strike panic in a patient’s mind. The reality is that the treatment is simple and performed right in your dentist’s office.

As a non-surgical procedure, scaling and planing is performed without any anesthesia, in the dentist’s office. While the procedure is usually painless, advanced stages of gingivitis may make it necessary to numb the area for complete comfort. Deep scaling and root planing is usually broken down into one section of the mouth per appointment. This allows for adequate healing time, and reduces the time for each appointment.

Periodontal Splinting (weak teeth)

Loose teeth are uncomfortable, especially when you try to eat food or chew gum. The feeling of the tooth pulling away from the gum is enough to send chills down your spine. It seems like an eternity, waiting for either the tooth to become loose enough to be extracted or strong enough to no longer be a problem.

Teeth become loose because of lost gum tissue, injury, orthodontic treatment, or pressure caused by tooth misalignment. A new technique called periodontal splinting attaches weak teeth together, turning them into a single unit that is stable and stronger than the single teeth by themselves. The procedure is most commonly performed on the front teeth. The procedure is as simple as using composite material to attach, or splint, the loose teeth to the adjoining stable teeth. Tooth splinting is a common procedure that has gained popularity due to its effectiveness.

Life is too short to live with loose teeth. Contact our office today for a consultation.

Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery

Your smile is the first thing someone notices about you. People form their first impressions based on the appearance of your smile. There was a time when, unless you made allot of money or were born with perfect teeth, you had to live with your smile. Today, a wide range of cosmetic procedures is available to the average citizen, at a cost they can afford. If you have a gummy smile, uneven gum line or elongated teeth, cosmetic periodontal surgery is for you.

If you are unhappy with your smile, give us a call to discuss your options. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Arestin

You may have heard about gum disease, also known as “periodontitis” or “periodontal disease.” Maybe a dental professional or hygienist recently told you that you have this infection. But do you really know the difference between periodontal disease and other types of complications that can affect your mouth, such as gingivitis? Do you know why it’s so important to treat periodontal disease-and why brushing and flossing alone won’t do the trick?

Most importantly, did you know that periodontal disease is today’s #1 cause of tooth loss among American adults? Or that, although a causal relationship between periodontal disease and an elevated risk for systemic events has not been established,recent data suggest a possible association between periodontal disease and other health issues including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and preterm low birth-weight babies?
ARESTIN® (minocycline hydrochloride) Microspheres, 1 mg is an effective antibiotic treatment that comes in powder form. This powder is placed inside infected periodontal pockets just after the dental professional finishes the scaling and root planing (SRP) procedure.

Frenectomy

A frenulum is a piece of tissue that prevents an organ from moving. There is a frenulum that attaches your upper lip to the gums, while another connects the lower lip to the gums. A frenulum that is too short or thick, will cause problems in speech patterns and tooth misalignment. In infants, a shortened frenulum underneath the tongue will inhibit breastfeeding. When the frenulum disrupts movement, growth, or development, corrective action is necessary to resolve the situation.

Crown Lengthening

It is no secret that dentists are committed to improving your smile. This is why we fill cavities.

Cavities can decay your tooth to the point where restoration is virtually impossible without a procedure called crown lengthening. Crown lengthening is a routine surgical procedure, which remodels the contour of the gum line. The procedure does not actually lengthen the crown, but rather lowers the gum line. When there is not enough tooth structure to affix a crown, this is the only option. Call us for more information on how we can help preserve your smile.

High tech services

Drill-Less Dentistry

Drill-less dentistry is a procedure that is almost entirely pain-free. What makes it pain-free? As a dental drill is used it heats up and applies pressure and vibrations. These sensations combine to cause discomfort. Our technology targets and removes decay without heat or pressure. These high-tech procedures are also designed to reduce the likelihood of damaging healthy enamel too. Call us today to find out more about pain-free options for improving your smile!

Air Abrasion

Air abrasion is a way to remove decay from a tooth without using a dental drill. It works like a sandblaster removing graffiti from walls. The air abrasion hand is commonly used for preparing teeth for fillings or composites.

Laser

Waterlase® Dentistry uses a patented technology combining YSGG laser energy and a spray of water, a process called HydroPhotonics™, to perform a wide range of dental procedures. Typically, Waterlase Dentists use fewer shots and less anesthesia providing a more relaxing dental experience.

Lasers, a proven technology, have long been the standard of care in medicine for many surgical and cosmetic procedures such as LASIK vision correction, and many others. Thousands of dentists around the world have performed millions of procedures with less need for shots, anesthesia, drills and post-op numb lips.

Due to its conservative, gentle action and coagulating capabilities, the Waterlase® performs procedures with little or no bleeding and less post-op swelling. Since you often do not need shots or anesthesia, a Waterlase® dentist can perform cavity preps in all areas of the mouth in just one visit.

Digital X-rays

Digital x-rays are quickly becoming adopted by a large percentage of the dental industry. A digital x-ray allows the dentist to take an amazingly accurate image of your mouth. An additional benefit is the digital x-ray also provides nearly 80% less radiation than a standard x-ray. We embrace these kinds of technology because we care about you, and your smile. Call us today to find out more.

Panorex

A panorex is a very impressive piece of imaging machinery in that it is capable of identifying many issues and structures that a normal x-ray is not. Initially you will sit in a chair with your chin on a small ledge. Once positioned in the machine, it will rotate around your entire head taking a full 360 degree view of the teeth, head, sinuses and bones.

The ability to view the full structure of your head as a whole is very informative to the dentist. It will allow us to see any potential problems and make sure that everything is functioning as it should be. The panorex is capable of viewing specific types of structural problems, infections or asymmetry among many others.

Intraoral Camera

The intraoral camera is an amazing diagnostic tool for viewing different angles in the mouth that we would not have been able to just a few years ago. The camera gives us the ability to view the entire mouth on a monitor so that we can get a closer look at any potential issues or problems that may arise. In addition, the patient will have the ability to see for themselves first hand the same images we are seeing. These digital images are also excellent for gaining procedure acceptance from insurance companies.

Rotary Endodontics

Endodontics, more commonly known as root canal, is a procedure where the roots or nerves of the tooth are removed. This is often due to the fact that they are infected and the tooth is causing pain.

Rotary Endodontics is a way of performing the root canal utilizing a specific electrical handpiece. This tool often makes the process faster and allows the dentist to perform the process with greater ease. Nowadays, root canals are fast, easy and relatively painless. Call us and make an appointment today to find out more.

Electric Handpieces

There are basically two types of handpieces, air-driven and electric. Electric handpieces are much stronger than air-driven due to the fact that a motor is spinning the bur as opposed to air. This allows the doctor to remove decay at a faster pace. This will cut down on the time it takes to complete a procedure.

Cosmetic Dentistry

ZOOM! Professional Whitening System

Keeping our smile the whitest is a lot harder than it sounds. With all the coffee, wine, smoking and other foods that have the ability to stain our smile on a daily basis, even proper maintenance sometimes leaves it a little lackluster. Smile whitening is an excellent way to restore the natural color of your teeth or even make them whiter than your natural color if you would like.

To accomplish this whitening, we utilize a product called ZOOM!. ZOOM! is a chairside whitening procedure that uses a safe whitening gel and a low intensity light to activate the gel. This combination allows us to provide you with a smile that is 6-10 shades whiter in about an hour! Call us now for more information.

Invisalign

Invisalign is a new system of straightening teeth without the use of conventional braces. A series of clear plastic aligners are utilized to create tooth movement. Moving teeth with removable aligners is not new. However, the computer program, which can generate a series of aligners with small changes is the new part. Invisalign is recommended for orthodontic situations with mild to moderate spacing or crowding. They are virtually undetectable, easy to use and comfortable to wear. Dr. Pappas and Dr. Cherpelis are certified providers for Invisalign!

Call us at (718) 224-4646 and ask us how you can get Invisalign treatment up to 2 years interest free!

Veneers

Veneers are an excellent way to redesign and reshape your entire mouth. Veneers are a very thin ceramic shell that covers your existing tooth structure. In placing these new veneers on your smile, you are able to fix the look of issues such as staining, cracks, spaces, misalignment, chips and many other issues.

As the veneers are finalized, we will make every effort to make sure that your new veneers will feel just like your natural teeth. We will bond them into place ensuring that you can enjoy your new smile for a very long time!

Shade determination with the help of a shade guide

Lumineers

Lumineers are very thinly shaped porcelain that is bonded to your tooth. The fact that they are very thin allows us to minimize the preparation of the tooth to create beautiful transformations.

Due to the fact that there is minimal preparation, there is often little to no discomfort in this procedure. The procedure often requires 1-2 visits.

Give us a call today to see if Lumineers will work for your smile!

Bonding

Bonding is a popular method to enhance the aesthetics of your smile. Bonding can be used to correct cracks or gaps in in your smile, as a filling after a cavity has been removed, or to cover up stains or discolorations.

Tooth Color Fillings

Fillings protect your smile from decay. If we detect you have a cavity that needs to be filled during a checkup, we use a small mirror to examine the surfaces of each tooth.

Anything that looks abnormal will then be closely checked with special instruments. It’s possible we may also X-ray your entire mouth or a section of it with our safe and quick digital x-ray. The type of treatment we recommend will depend on the extent of damage caused by decay. At all times we have your health and care uppermost in our minds.

Prosthodontics

Crowns

Over time our smile can begin to weaken and become more susceptible to problems such as decay, cracks and discoloration. If you feel your smile isn’t what it once was, crowns can help you recover your smile. If your dentist notices some decay or something seems weakened/cracked a crown may be necessary to make sure that there are no additional problems. In cases like this a filling or bonding will not be sufficient.

Crowns can be made from porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or a full gold crown. To maintain a natural look and feel a porcelain finished crown is best, as it can be matched to the rest of your mouth. This will allow it to blend in and appear natural. Call us today to find out how affordable this improvement to your smile can be.

Bridges

Dental bridges are a great way to replace missing teeth. Your existing teeth are used to literally create a bridge to cross the area where your tooth is missing. Bridges are made from gold, metal, alloys, or porcelain to ensure that they are strong and durable.

If you are missing a tooth you should strongly consider having it replaced. Besides the aesthetic disadvantage of missing a tooth, it could also cause structural changes to your mouth and jaw, as well as making it difficult to eat or speak properly. Set up an appointment today to restore your smile.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are a permanent and appealing solution to replace missing or extracted teeth. They are better than other alternatives like bridges for a number of different reasons.
Your smile will look just like it used to, and after a short period of getting used to the implant it will feel just like one of your own.

This model show the teeth have been capped and the stainless pin in the gums.

Inlays & Onlays

Inlays and onlays are often referred to as partial crowns. They use the existing tooth as a base and fit the inlay or onlay onto the tooth. This is done to strengthen the tooth, restore its shape, and prevent further damage. An inlay is done when there is no damage to the cusps of the tooth and the inlay can be placed right on the tooth. An inlay is used when the damage is a little more extensive. Your tooth will look natural and you or anyone else won’t be able to tell the difference.

Dentures

As you probably know, dentures can help you maintain a healthy smile. Depending on each individual patient case, they may receive full or partial dentures. Our goal is to make sure we do the best thing for you and your health. We are dedicated to your healthy smile. We will help you to come to the best solution for your smile, whether that be dentures or another procedure. Call us and make an appointment so we can talk about what the best options are for you.